Meet Dacheka Kolcum

We were lucky to catch up with Dacheka Kolcum recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dacheka , we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

Being born and adopted from Haiti has shaped a lot of my personality and who I am as a woman. I am so proud to be an immigrant and so proud to be Haitian. I will never give up because I have a family who sacrificed everything in the hopes that I would have a better life. Because of them, because of God, and because of my adoptive family, I have all the resources that I may need to be successful. I don’t take that lightly and I don’t take that for granted. My resilience comes from the sacrifices made for me by so many people around me.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am a high fashion model, who loves connecting with the camera to bring a story to life based off when I’m wearing my facial expressions and my poses. On top of that, I have two businesses that are my babies.

Beyond The Pose Workshop is a monthly workshop event for models, photographers, and designers. We start with a panel discussion with industry movers, who speak on various aspects of the fashion industry. Then the models get dressed and styled by our team of stylist, and then photographed by top photographers in the city. I love this event because when I first moved to Atlanta, it was hard to find those high fashion connections. To find the type of designers and photographers I needed to build my portfolio. Once I established those connections, I wanted to share them with models who may be looking for the same.
Our next event will be May 18.

I also have The Dacheka Kolcum Foundation in conjunction with my father in Haiti. This foundation builds homes and provides shelter for those families affected by gang violence, natural disaster, etc. in August 2021 after another violent earthquake, I was able to raise over $5000 with the help of my soccer team George Mason University women’s soccer to send food, water, oil, toiletries, etc. to 100s of families in Haiti

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. Authenticity
2. Work ethic
3. A genuine care for others

These are my core values. The reason that I can continuously push myself and have success in my field is because I am genuinely in love with what I do. I created a business that made what I already did better for myself and others in my field. I value honest feedback in order to improve in the ways that my clientele need. My advice is to get one percent better every single day, hold client feedback to the highest standards and improve constantly. At the end of the day, you are building a business for other people to enjoy, it is important to keep a pulse on what your community needs. And as long as you are true to what made you start the business in the first place, you will always be successful.

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

My parents gave me an opportunity of a lifetime. Both sets of parents that I have been blessed with, have showed me selflessness and humility from a very young age. My adoption wasn’t an easy choice for my birth parents, but they understood the life that I was born into would mirror theirs, and they wanted more for me. My adoptive parents spent three years filling out paperwork, having random home inspections, all while every member of their family was interviewed just to open up their home and hearts to me. I was given a gift that has manifested in so many ways. And since reconnecting with my birth family at eighteen, everything has come full circle.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Dachthemodel
• Linkedin: Dacheka Kolcum